«A SATISFYING GENERAL APPROACH ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity welcome the adoption of the Council’s position regarding the audiovisual media services directive. This important vote will permit to enter very soon in trilogue with the European Parliament and the European Commission in order to negotiate the final version of the revised directive.

The measures endorsed by the Council will strengthen the protection and the promotion of cultural diversity online by aiming at an ambitious European audiovisual policy, such as the promotion of European works online thanks a mandatory quota of 30% and the safeguard of the existing investment measures established by Member States in order to support national and European creation.

The European Coalitions are satisfied that the Council found a common position with the European Parliament regarding the threshold rate of European works that must be present on online services. The current average percentage of availability of European works online is 27%. The new mandatory quota, similar to the European Parliament proposal, enables to go beyond and can hopefully create a dynamic for more cultural diversity online.

The measure regarding the contribution for works creation allow Member States to tax online services which are targeting the local audience without been established in that Member State.

The European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity consider that this measure is essential to prevent circumvention of national policies and to create a virtuous circle in favour of European creation and its diversity.»